This is So Good it Makes Our Eyes “Sweaty”

Any volunteer or staff member at your Rancho Coastal Humane Society (RCHS)…if they’re here long enough…will eventually see tears.

Happy tears when a favorite animal is adopted. Tears of comfort or encouragement for someone going through a difficult time. Sad tears when someone in our RCHS family loses a beloved person or pet.

We’ll admit that this was a new situation, even for our Animal Safehouse Program (ASP). RCHS provided help that made a very important family “first.”

ASP Director Justina Kirkland tells us the family fled from Northern California to escape an abuser. Arriving in San Diego, they needed help not only for themselves but also for their dogs Luna, Mimi and Pixie.

The dogs didn’t require any major medical assistance, as many ASP animals often do. Justina says, “We updated their vaccinations. The family got new crates for each dog as well as dog beds, leashes, collars, bowls and dog food.”

The dogs were in the safety net of ASP for about two weeks while the family stabilized and decided what to do next. When the family returned to Rancho Coastal Humane Society to pick up their dogs, we were able to give them something they never had before. We took their very first family photo! It was something that may have never happened without the ASP.

There is never a charge for ASP clients. There was no charge for that “first” photo. Our payment comes when a domestic violence victim escapes and we can reunite a pet with a family that has survived a crisis.

For more information about the Animal Safehouse Program created by Rancho Coastal Humane Society or to donate, log on to www.sdpets.org or call (760) 753-6413. Better yet, visit RCHS at 389 Requeza Street in Encinitas, where Every Animal Deserves a Tomorrow®.